Mike Reilly On Close Relationship With Brock Nelson & The Role Nelson Played In His Recovery
Reilly and Nelson have been friends for a very long time.
ELMONT, NY — If you ever wanted to see Brock Nelson grin from ear to ear, all you had to do was mention his teammate Mike Reilly.
The two have been extremely close for years, working out together in the summers and also taking part in Da Beauty League back in Minnesota.
So, when Reilly was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers in late November of last season, Nelson was ecstatic.
"Actually, it was funny because he had texted that he was going on waivers before our injuries happened, and that's part of the timing of it, too, in this business is crucial," Nelson said last season. "You get the right time and opportunity, and you just try to run with it. I think Mikey's a prime example of that right now. So when it worked out the next day, he said the Islanders put a claim in for him, and he was coming.
"I love it. Like I said, he's great. I think he's awesome. I love working out with him. He's been a friend for a while now. I like his game. To have a guy like that that you work out with and see all year round Is cool. I hang out with him a lot, go to dinners a lot now, and always try to track him when he isn't with us. So to have him now is exciting.”
Nelson played a huge role in helping Reilly settle into Long Island.
“He and his wife Karley have taken care of me a little bit,” Reilly said a month or so into his Islanders tenure. “We've grown close. I've grown close to their family and their kids. So I can pick his brain about something and lean on him a little bit for sure.”
Flash-forward to now, Nelson is no longer with the Islanders after he was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche, and Reilly just made his return to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 1 due to a heart procedure.
But there’s a bond there that isn’t going away.